When the Scaled Specter Strikes!
by Fegerrific
Summary: Aqualand Sea Life Park is home to talented, treasure-hunting dolphins. But the sunken treasure they have retrieved is rumored to be cursed! And when a scaly specter shows up, it seems the rumors are true! There's something fishy going on, and Scooby and the gang will sniff out the truth!
1. The Resurrecion

_An ancient ship, the pride of Spain, e__mbarked upon a quest_

_To navigate the ocean wide a__nd still survive the test._

_From China, Burma, Borneo c__ame cargo of great price,_

_Silk tapestries and ivories a__nd precious crates of spice._

_The ship set sail, sailors cheered, t__ogether they would strive_

_To bravely steer across the sea a__nd pray they would arrive._

_And yet, alas, their ship was doomed b__y Lady Fate's cruel hand_

_So many lives and dreams were lost w__ithin the sight of land_

_A whirlpool drowned the ancient ship, b__attered, scarred and torn_

_Timbers smashed and sailors lost u__pon that dreadful morn_

_Today, the ship is safe at rest r__emoved from ocean gales_

_And guarded by an ancient beast, s__o tell the whispered tales…_

_The treasure waits beneath the waves f__orever buried in the mire_

_For none are brave or foolish yet t__o face the creature's ire._

_Until now…_


	2. Treasure and Terror

A flash of lightning illuminated the glassed-in building of Aqualand Sea Park in San Francisco. Inside Aqualand, Maura Diaz, a statuesque woman with flowing ebony hair, sighed deeply at the sheets of rain hammering on her office window. The Golden Gate Bridge, usually visible, was obscured by dark storm clouds. Pursing her lips at the grey day, Maura crossed her mocha arms over her chest, rumpling her beige blouse. A tan skirt cascaded down her long lean legs as she crossed the room to shut out the depressing scene. As she twirled the blinds shut, a sudden rap sounded on the door.

"Come in," called Maura distractedly. The solid oak door creaked open to reveal an elderly man in a sterile white lab coat. A pair of spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose and his greying hair was stealthily styled to cover his balding head. "Good afternoon, Dr. Bellamy," Maura said. "How may I help you?"

Dr. Bellamy grinned happily. "They've found it, Maura! Those dolphins have found it!"

Maura gasped in shock and started towards the door. "I never thought I'd see the day. Can we see it?"

The elderly doctor snickered. "Why do you think I'm here? Let's go!" The pair raced excitedly through the halls of the aquarium and stopped at a door marked, 'Storage Area: Authorized Personnel Only.' Dr. Bellamy slid a card through the magnetic reader and the door sprang open.

Maura gasped in shock as she and the doctor entered the storage room. "Incredible!" she breathed. Priceless statues stood amid heaps of golden coins and wooden crates. "The treasure of the _Resurrec__ć__ion_…it's real!"

While Maura breathlessly examined the ancient treasure, Dr. Bellamy polished his glasses on his lab coat. "And really valuable," he replied. "This treasure could sell for millions!"

Maura, fire blazing in her eyes, turned to the doctor. "We're NOT selling this," she admonished furiously. "Think of the tourists that would flock to see this!"

"If we sold this, we wouldn't need tourists to come," the doctor retorted. "Think about that. Anyway, I need to go finish up some paperwork in my office. Can you lock up when you pry your jaw from the floor?" Snickering at his lame joke, Dr. Bellamy exited the room.

"Oh, ha ha," Maura murmured. She turned to a solid-gold statue of three dolphins swimming around a clump of diamond-encrusted seaweed. "Oh my! This statue…it's exquisite!" Maura strolled around the statue, admiring every hand-carved detail with mounting excitement.

A loud boom echoed throughout the storage room as a clap of thunder rocked the aquarium. Maura gasped involuntarily as she was suddenly plunged into darkness. In a moment that felt like an eternity, the emergency lights finally flickered on, bathing the room in an eerie red glow.

A low growl echoed from the treasure heap. Maura looked wildly around the red-tinged room and saw a hideous creature emerge from a pile of gold coins! Its acid-green scaly skin shimmered under the emergency lights. With another growl, it raised razor-sharp claws and took a threatening step towards the marine biologist. A scream died in Maura's throat as the beast drew closer…and closer…


	3. Dolphins and Danger

The Mystery Machine slipped and slid through the driving rain to Aqualand Sea Park. Fingers of rain drummed on the windshield, causing Fred to flick on the windshield wipers full blast.

"Ugh," Daphne moaned, staring sadly out the window. "Is this rain EVER going to stop?"

Velma tapped a few keys on her phone. "Not likely," she sighed, staring at the mass of red on the weather radar screen. "Rain, rain, rain all day long."

"Well, at least we'll be dry in Aqualand," Fred replied. "As long as we stay out of the splash zone at the dolphin show!"

The gang snickered good-naturedly as, with a screech of brakes, the van pulled into the Aqualand parking lot. "Hmmm…what's going on here?" Velma asked curiously, pointing towards the front door, where a dozen people wearing colorful ponchos paced outside the aquarium, waving signs emblazoned with SAVE THE DOLPHINS. "Is this what Ms. Diaz called us about? A protest?"

"Only one way to find out," Fred shrugged, popping open a blue-and-white umbrella and exiting the van. The rest of the gang followed suit, shrugging on ponchos and opening umbrellas to shield themselves from the elements,

As the gang neared the aquarium entrance, the group of protestors launched into a passionate chant. "Hey-oh! Hey-oh! Let those greedy humans know! Hi-ho! Hi-ho! They should let those dolphins go!" A willowy woman, her curly honey-blonde hair hidden under a green poncho hood, snatched at Fred's arm as the gang tried to pass.

"Don't go in that aquarium!" she hissed sternly. "They keep dolphins captive and make them do degrading tricks in exchange for a paltry meal! They should be out in the sea with their own kind, not cooped up in a tank all alone!"

With a barely-stifled groan, a Hispanic woman with flowing raven hair dashed out of the aquarium. "Ms. Meadows, I cannot stop you from protesting here," the woman scolded. "But you **cannot** stop guests from entering."

Ms. Meadows scowled at the woman's admonishment. "Fine, Ms. Diaz. We'll leave…for now. But mark my words; you will pay for your cruelty." With a dismissive wave of her hand, she and her band of protestors marched away, still chanting their song.

Ms. Diaz turned to the gang. "Sorry about that," she said. "I'm Maura Diaz. You've just met an environmentalist with the unbelievable-yet-apparently-true name of Daisy Meadows. She's from a wildlife conservation group called MarineVoice. They believe that we mistreat our dolphins by making them do tricks, so she and her fellow protestors are trying to get us shut down."

"Is Ms. Meadows why we're here?" Daphne asked. "That's not typically our kind of problem."

"No, no, protests we can handle," Maura replied. "Monsters we can't."

"Ronsters!?" Scooby barked, leaping into Shaggy's arms.

Maura shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid so." She motioned the gang inside with a wave of her mocha hand. "Come inside. I have some explaining to do."

The gang's footsteps echoed on the marble floor of the aquarium's cavernous blue-tiled lobby as Maura led them inside. An enormous mosaic of various sea creatures dominated the entryway. Maura waved at the clerk behind the ticket window and escorted the gang through the turnstiles.

"So what's been happening, Ms. Diaz?" Velma asked, jogging slightly to keep up with Maura's long strides.

"Maura, please," she corrected with a laugh like tinkling bells. "And I think it might be easier to show you."

"But first, can you, like, show us the snack bar?" Shaggy called.

The gang rolled their eyes, but Maura was glad to oblige for the bottomless pits.

After a quick stop at Fish's Dishes Snack Bar, the gang followed Maura to an enormous glass tank filled with clear, ice-blue water. A man with a mop of blonde hair waved at them from a precarious platform above the tank. He wore a navy-blue, sleeveless wetsuit and a pair of oversized flippers. "Hi, Maura!" the man called. "Watch this!" He withdrew a silvery-blue fish from a pocket and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed it over the tank. With an enormous splash, a slippery grey dolphin burst from the water and turned two flips before grabbing the fish in its jaws and splashing back down underwater.

As the gang cheered loudly at the dolphin's trick, the man took a small bow and clambered down off the platform. "That was neat!" Maura exclaimed. "Gang, this is Tyler Page, our resident animal trainer."

"Taught them everything they know," Tyler joked good-naturedly after introductions were made.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed. "That's impressive! How did you do it?"

"Well, it helps that dolphins are some of the smartest creatures on the planet," Tyler explained with a grin, launching into an animated lecture on how to train dolphins to entertain the masses.

"Tell them about Project Retrieval," Maura interjected when Tyler took a breath.

"Project Retrieval?" Tyler echoed. "Do we have enough time before the show?"

Maura checked her watch. "Talk fast."


	4. On With The Show

"Project Retrieval is probably the most exciting project Aqualand has embarked on in a while," Tyler explained. "I've been working for months training dolphins to find lost treasure." The gang gasped excitedly. "They're a natural for it, as they've got built-in sonar and a natural homing ability that makes them a natural at finding lost objects. And they can navigate through tight spaces that humans can't.

"So we've had a team of dolphins working off the coast of Baja California, retrieving treasure from a sunken ship, the _Resurrec__ć__ion_," Tyler continued. "We'll be presenting it at the show today. Then it will be sold and the profits go to the aquarium. And ten percent goes to me as the dolphins' trainer."

"I don't think we're selling the treasure, Tyler," Maura interjected. "I think it's going to remain at Aqualand as a permanent attraction."

"What!" Tyler exclaimed. "That's not fair! I'm supposed to get my cut!"

A high-pitched squeal from the tank made the assembled group jump. Ever-playful Scooby had raised up on his hind legs and was making faces at the dolphins in the tank, causing the silver creatures to squeal and laugh. "Scooby, get away from there!" Fred scolded. Scooby hung his head and slumped back down on all fours.

Tyler laughed, the former slight suddenly forgotten. "Oh, he won't hurt anything. The dolphins love to play." He withdrew another fish from his pocket. "Here, pup. You can feed 'em if you want."

Scooby gratefully took the fish from Tyler. But instead of tossing it to the dolphins, the hungry Great Dane popped the fish in his mouth and swallowed happily.

The gang snickered at Scooby's antics as a crackle of static burst forth from the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, please come down to the Arena for Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular, a live show featuring our talented seals and dolphins! The show starts in fifteen minutes, so come watch!"

Tyler gasped, dashing towards a nearby door marked 'Aquarium Personnel Only.' "Fifteen minutes! I gotta get ready!" He swiped a card through the magnetic reader, causing the door to spring open with a click. "Enjoytheshowbye!" he called, vanishing into the bowels of the aquarium.

"We will!" Maura called after him. "Come on, let's get seats before we're stuck in the splash zone."

"So, Maura, you said you would show us why we were here," Velma said as they sat together on a slightly damp bench near the middle of the arena.

Maura nodded. "I will. Just watch. You'll see soon enough."

For a few minutes, the only sounds in the arena were the dolphins splashing and swimming around and Shaggy and Scooby scarfing snacks. But soon, people began filing into the arena, filling the benches and chattering excitedly.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" came the voice over the loudspeaker. "Welcome to Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular!" Cheers and whoops followed this pronouncement. "And now, put your hands together for Tyler Page and his Seals of Approval!"

The crowd whooped and hollered as funky music with a heavy backbeat began to play in the background.

**(A/N: Feel free to supply your own favorite funky music here.)**

Tyler Page danced onto the scene, followed closely by three seals also dancing along to the funky beat. Tyler produced a beach ball from nowhere and tossed it to one of the seals, who carefully balanced it on its nose before tossing it to another seal, who repeated the trick before bouncing it to the third seal. The third seal bounded it off its nose into Tyler's waiting hands. With a flick of his wrist, Tyler tossed the ball away. Barking wildly, the seals chased after it like bizarre dogs playing fetch.

One of the seals scooped up the ball with its nose and bounced it several times before flicking it towards his fellow seals. The other seals waddled around, still dancing to the beat, passing the ball back and forth on their noses. The audience roared with laughter at the seals' antics. After a while, Tyler took the ball and surreptitiously fed his performers as they shuffled out of sight.

"Tyler Page and his Seals of Approval, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called amid the audience's cheers.

In a minute, Tyler reappeared onto the scene, scaling the ladder up the tank to the precarious platform above. "And now, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer boomed as the funky music began again.

**(A/N: Like before, feel free to add your own soundtrack to this scene)**

"Please welcome the amazing dolphins of Aqualand!" The crowd roared with applause as three dolphins leapt from the water, catching the fish that Tyler threw to them, before splashing back down into the tank.

A stray wave of water arced gracefully over the splash zone and caught Fred full in the face. The gang snorted back laughter while Fred, annoyed, attempted to wring out his orange ascot.

Mystery Incorporated laughed and cheered along with the rest as the dolphins leapt through hoops, balanced beach balls on their noses and performed all kinds of fancy tricks, each time being rewarded with a fish from Tyler.

After the dolphins finished their tricks, Tyler took a bow, clambered down the ladder and vanished backstage as the audience cheered, whooped and hollered. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming out to Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular! And to thank you for being such a great audience, we have one last trick up our sleeve!"

As the announcer spoke, the lights dimmed, causing the audience to gasp slightly. "The talented dolphins of Aqualand are more than performers, you know. They are also treasure hunters!" The crowd gasped appreciatively as a golden spotlight shone on the surface of the water, illuminating the tank. "Aqualand is proud to present the sunken treasure of the _Resurrec__ć__ion_!" The audience clapped and cheered as a platform in the tank rose to the surface, carrying with it a mound of treasure that sparkled and shimmered in the spotlight's glow.

Shaggy wrinkled his nose. "Yuck, couldn't they have cleaned off the treasure before showing it off?" he asked, pointing at a mound of slimy seaweed clinging to the dolphin statue. Suddenly, the mound of seaweed began to move!

A bloodcurdling roar sounded through the arena as the clump of seaweed stood up, looking less like a clump of seaweed and more like a scaly sea monster! It hissed at the audience and roared threateningly, causing the audience to scream in horror and stampede towards the exit. In the chaos that ensued, the monster vanished into the deep.


	5. See the Sea Monster

Mystery Incorporated surveyed the deserted arena after the monster's appearance. "So, this is why you wanted us to come?" Velma asked Maura. "This…creature?"

"Yes," Maura replied. "It seems to have come with the treasure that the dolphins found. Can you help?"

"We'll do our best, Maura," Fred replied.

With a squish of wet flippers, a sopping wet Tyler Page squeaked up to the gang. "What was that thing?!" he screeched, his face a mask of horror. "I'd just clambered down the ladder and was watching to see how my treasure was being wasted—I mean, appreciated—and that seaweed freak just came out of nowhere!"

"Speaking of seaweed, you've got some on your shoulder," Velma replied, reaching over and picking the strand of seaweed off Tyler's shoulder.

"Oh, there's seaweed all over the place here," Tyler scoffed. "I come home with it in my shorts most days,"

"Hmmm…but this isn't seaweed, Tyler. It's a strand of green plastic…looks familiar, somehow…"

Maura took the plastic strand and examined it. "Looks like a shred from one of our ponchos," she mused, returning the strip to Velma, who pocketed the strip for safekeeping. "We sell them in the gift shop for people who sit in the splash zone."

"Well, gang, looks like we have our first clue," Fred announced.

Suddenly, an elderly balding man in a lab coat dashed up to the gang. "What happened here?" he shouted, skidding to a halt. "There's supposed to be a dolphin show going on! Where IS everyone?"

"We have a monster problem on our hands, Dr. Bellamy," Maura replied.

"I'd say so!" the doctor snarled. "There's no customers! I thought you said that keeping the treasure here would get tourists to flock here! Well, WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"Dr. Bellamy, please be reasonable…" Maura pleaded, but it was hopeless.

"Be reasonable?" Dr. Bellamy echoed. "I don't have to be reasonable. If you don't find some way to deal with this "monster" problem, so help me, I'll fire everyone in this room, starting with you!" The doctor turned on his heels and stormed away.

Tyler murmured something about 'needing to change,' quickly ducking out of the awkward moment and vanishing into the locker room.

Maura looked as though she might cry. "I-I c-c-can't get fired," she whispered.

"Don't worry, Maura," Fred boasted. "Mystery Incorporated is on the case. Let's split up gang!"

"I want to get a closer look at that treasure," Velma proclaimed.

"Okay, sure," Fred conceded. "You take Shaggy and Scooby over to the tank to see what you can find. Daphne and I will go find Dr. Bellamy and see what he's up to."

"Well, I'll go with you two, then," Maura proclaimed. "If Dr. Bellamy's in one of his moods, he won't talk to anyone but me."

As Fred, Velma and Maura left, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby walked over to the dolphin tank. But as they approached, an extraordinarily handsome man in an immaculately pressed suit and perfect, executive-style, greying-at-the-temples distinguished hair, skidded to a halt in front of the tank. He gestured wildly to the man behind him, a slender man in a T-shirt, jeans and a bulky headset, who was lugging about fifty miles of extension cord and a TV camera emblazoned with SFN5 NEWS. With a shared look of bemusement, Shaggy, Scooby and Velma stepped closer.

"Over here, Ned," the handsome man called, his arms waving wildly. "This spot'll be perfect." With a fake smile, the man drew a comb from his pocket and unnecessarily styled his hair while Ned set up the tripod. "Got my good side? We're rolling? Hello, Cal Cooley, I'm San Francisco. I'm here at Aqualand Sea Life Park, where their world-famous dolphin show was destroyed, not by a rogue dolphin, but a rogue sea monster," Cal read from the teleprompter. "That's right, folks. A mysterious creature from beneath the depths is currently haunting Aqualand. We'll have the full story at eleven. I'm Cal Cooley, SFN5 News."

"Cal Cooley?" Velma echoed when the reporter stopped speaking. "I've heard of you."

"Don't tell me," Cal interrupted with a raised hand. "You love SFN5 news and you watch it every day just to see my handsome face,"

"Don't flatter yourself," Velma spat furiously. "Your 'news stories' are nothing but sensationalized gossip!"

Cal's false smile never faltered. "You say 'sensationalized gossip,' I say ' top stores,' " he replied, oozing fake charm from every pore of his immaculate face.

"Top stories or not," Velma fired back. "I find it fascinating how you managed to get here so quickly. The monster attack just happened, but you were set up in record time to get your scoop."

Cal's smile wavered for a split second before returning to a grin so broad it threatened to break the newsman's flawless face. "Ned, I think we're done here," Cal murmured through clenched teeth, never taking his eyes off Velma.

While Ned quickly packed away his camera, Cal quickly beat a path to the exit. "Hmmm…" Velma mused. "I'd sure like to know how he got here so quickly. But we won't find out just standing here. I want to see that treasure. Come on!"

"Ruh-uh!" Scooby barked, shaking his head emphatically.

"No way, Velma," Shaggy protesting, folding his arms over his chest. "Like, I'm not going anywhere near that treasure!"

With a bribe of three Scooby Snacks each, Shaggy and Scooby followed Velma up the ladder to the trainer's platform above the tank. "Jinkies," Velma breathed. "It's exquisite up close," she murmured, examining one of the golden statues on the treasure platform in the center of the tank.

"Like, what's that on that platform?" Shaggy asked, squinting at a small white rectangle in the middle of the treasure.

Velma peered intently at the platform. "Hmmm…Scooby, can you go get it for us?" Scooby shook his head, cowering behind Shaggy's legs.

"Like, nothing'll get him to swim in monster-infested waters," Shaggy replied.

"Nothing?" grinned Velma slyly. She slipped a Scooby Snack from her pocket and tossed it across the water to the platform. "Go long, Scoob!" But it was Shaggy who made the flying leap for the snack instead, gobbling up the treat in midair and landing safely on the platform. "Nice jump, Shag!" called Velma. "Now get that mystery object!"

Shaggy bent down to pick up the object, a small white piece of plastic about the size and thickness of a credit card. It bore the Aqualand logo, an ID number and a magnetic strip that ran the length of the back. "Got it," announced Shaggy, pocketing the card. "Look out, here I come!" The lanky sleuth took a running start and flung himself off the treasure platform, but came up short, splashing down into the dolphin-infested waters below.

Velma and Scooby laughed uproariously as a very waterlogged Shaggy poked his head out of the tank, his hair plastered to his forehead, an annoyed frown crossing his face. Suddenly, he found himself in midair again, ejected out of the water by a playful dolphin's nose.

"Have a nice swim?" Velma teased as Shaggy landed with a thump on the trainer's platform. "What'd you find?" Scowling, Shaggy dug into his soaked pocket and extracted the dripping plastic piece for Velma to examine. "Hmmm…look like an aquarium key card. It's probably used to unlock doors to restricted areas. The monster must've dropped it when it was on the treasure platform."

"Ruh?" Scooby barked, puzzled. "Rut rhy?"

"Like, that's what I say, Scooby," Shaggy replied, slipping to his feet. "Why does a sea monster need an aquarium key card?"

Velma clambered down the ladder, closely followed by Shaggy and Scooby. "Because I don't think we're dealing with a REAL sea monster here. Come on, let's go see if we can find the rest of the gang."


	6. Paging Dr Bellicose

Fred, Daphne and Maura traipsed through the blue-tiled hallways of the aquarium, their footsteps echoing in the empty air. "This place is deserted," Daphne murmured.

"And it shouldn't be," Maura replied. "There should be people flocking here. That's why it's so imperative that you solve this case before—" Maura's sentence was cut short as the trio rounded and corner and ran headlong into Dr. Bellamy!

"Heh, fancy running into you," Fred quipped once everyone had untangled themselves from the mess of limbs and clambered to their feet.

"Sorry about that, Dr. Bellamy," Maura mumbled, staring down at the floor.

The doctor bent down to collect the papers strewn across the hallway. "What's the meaning of this, Maura?! Cantering throughout the aquarium like a madwoman?"

"It's our fault, Doctor," Fred volunteered. "We were hoping to talk to you about the sea monster and enlisted Maura to help us find you."

"Sea monster?" the doctor parroted mockingly. "So she's got you two believing in fairy tales too? There's no such thing as sea monsters. The only thing we need to talk about is selling that treasure! We don't need made-up monsters; we need ticket sales! And to sell tickets, we need to expand. A new wing, a bigger dolphin show, more trainers!" For a moment, the gang swore that Dr. Bellamy's pupils had been replaced by swirling dollar signs; a trick of the light, perhaps. "A research laboratory, a conservation station…"

"Dr. Bellamy…" Maura began, but the doctor silenced her with a look.

"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, Maura. With this aquarium? Or with a silly legend?" An ominous silence followed this pronouncement as Dr. Bellamy stalked away without a backwards glance.

"Jeepers, what a grouch," Daphne remarked, placing a comforting hand on Maura's shoulder. "You okay?"

Maura swallowed hard. "No."

Meanwhile, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby explored the rest of Aqualand looking for more clues, Fred and Daphne and the snack bar. "This place is enormous," Velma remarked. "That scaled specter could be hiding anywhere."

"Like, as long as it's not here," Shaggy shuddered, peering fearfully around the deserted hallway.

"I wonder if the rest of the gang found the good doctor yet," mused Velma, making a left turn down Angelfish Alley. Shaggy and Scooby followed reluctantly, knowing full-well that the snack bar was in the opposite direction. Suddenly, the creature leaped from an alcove and roared at the trio! Scooby leaped into Shaggy's arms and the pair raced away in fright, Velma close behind. The scaly beast hissed at the retreating trio and gave chase.

**(A/N: Here comes another Chase Scene! In order to get the full Scooby experience, open up your favorite funky music and loop it until you finish reading this passage.)**

Shaggy, Scooby and Velma run blindly through the hallways of Aqualand, closely followed by the Scaled Specter. Passing by the snack bar, Scooby and Shaggy screech to a halt. They order a towering plateful of food and begin to eat. The creature shows up and roars at the duo, causing them to drop their food and run, but return momentarily to pick up their food and run back off again, much to the confusion of the sea monster.

Velma rounds a corner and barrels into Fred, Velma, Daphne and Maura. They untangle themselves and pick themselves off the floor, only to have the monster show up! The four run off screaming in opposite directions.

Shaggy and Scooby run towards the dolphin tank and clamber up the ladder to the trainer's platform. The creature follows them! As the beast reaches the platform, Shaggy and Scooby have inexplicably changed into wetsuits and are making the dolphins do tricks, much to the confusion of the monster.

Shaggy hands the creature a fish, confusing it even further. Suddenly, a dolphin leaps from the water and tackles the monster for the fish, pulling it into the water. Scooby and Shaggy salute the dolphin, who salutes back. The dog-and-detective duo leave the monster floundering in the tank and go off to find the rest of the gang. The mysterious funky music that has been playing in the background slowly fades to a stop.


	7. Final Clues

"Like, we caught the monster!" Shaggy whooped as he and Scooby found the gang gathered around the dolphin tank.

"You did?" Velma asked incredulously. "Jinkies! Let's go!"

Shaggy led the gang up the ladder to the tank, only to find it devoid of any sea monsters! "Like, zoinks! It was just here! Where'd it go?"

"It must have managed to climb out of the tank," Fred remarked. "Look at the wet footprints on this platform."

"And this clue!" Velma proclaimed, picking up an object by the footprints. "The monster must've dropped this as it got out of the tank."

"What is it, Velma?" Daphne asked curiously.

"It's a fish," she replied, wrinkling her nose and holding up the grey creature by its tail.

"Well, even a sea monster has to eat, too," Shaggy quipped. "Speaking of eating, I'm starved."

"You're always starved," Daphne muttered drily.

"I think I've solved this mystery!" Velma exclaimed. "But we need to trap that sea monster to be sure."

"I've got just the plan!" Fred finished excitedly. "But we'll need Maura's help…" Shaggy and Scooby breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't get too comfortable, you two," Fred remarked. "We'll need your help as well."

Shaggy raised an eyebrow. "Four Scooby Snacks apiece and that's our final offer!"

"How about two Scooby Snacks and a visit to the snack bar?" Fred offered.

Shaggy bit his lip. "Well, Scoob? What do you think?"

Scooby shook his head emphatically. "Rhee racks! Rhree racks!" he barked.

"Like, we'll see your two and raise you three Scooby Snacks and a visit to the snack bar," Shaggy bargained.

"Done."

After Scooby and Shaggy's promised visit to Fish's Dishes, the gang met Maura at the Arena around the dolphin tank. "All right, everyone," Fred announced. "Here's the plan. Maura will be on the trainer's platform, pretending like she's making the dolphins do tricks for a show. Velma, Daphne and I will be in the stands cheering, so the Scaled Specter will think there's a show going on and will attack. When it comes up with the treasure, Shaggy and Scooby will be waiting with a net to capture it! It's foolproof!"

"We've heard that before," Shaggy murmured. Fred shot the Shaggy a glare before heading up to the stands with Velma and Daphne. Maura, armed with a pocketful of dead fish, clambered up the ladder to the trainer's platform while Shaggy and Scooby moved into trapping position.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Maura shouted. "Welcome to Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular!" Fred, Velma and Daphne cheered and applauded wildly as the dolphins leaped out of the water and turned a succession of flips for an edible reward in the shortest Sea Life Spectacular in the history of Aqualand.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming out to Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular!" Maura shouted over the splashing dolphins. "To thank you for being such a great audience, we have one last trick up our sleeve: The sunken treasure of the _Resurrec__ć__ion_!"

As planned, the lights dimmed and the golden spotlight illuminated the rising treasure platform, which contained the Scaled Specter roaring and snarling! "Now, Shag!" Fred called. Shaggy and Scooby tossed the net towards the creature, but missed as the creature leaped into the water to avoid capture. "We can't let him escape!"

Suddenly, the creature burst from the water with a splash, hoisted up by the nose of a playful dolphin. With a squeal, the dolphin tossed the Specter towards his fellow dolphin, who bounded the helpless creature on his nose like a ball before pushing the beast onto the trainer's platform, where he landed with a wet splat.

"All right!" Velma cheered. "We got 'im!"

"But who is it?" Maura asked.


	8. The Mystery Is Revealed!

The gang assembled on the trainer's platform around the captured beast. "Well, it's easy to figure out when you look at the clues," Velma replied matter-of-factly. "My first clue was the 'seaweed' that the monster left behind. It wasn't seaweed at all, just a piece of plastic cut from an aquarium poncho. It proved that our monster was just a disguise to frighten people away from the aquarium."

"But it really didn't help us narrow down any of our suspects," Fred interjected. "Dr. Bellamy and Tyler work at the aquarium and could have picked up some ponchos at any time."

"And it would've been easy for Daisy and Cal to buy the ponchos at the gift shop," Velma finished. "But this next clue pulled a few things together." She pulled the still-damp key card from her skirt pocket. "This was dropped by the Scaled Specter when it was on the platform. It's a key card for Restricted Access doors."

"That proved that our culprit was an aquarium employee," Daphne said. "That eliminated Cal and Daisy, as they were only visitors to the aquarium."

"But that still left Dr. Bellamy and Tyler as our suspects. I needed one more clue, and I found it with this!" she pulled the dead grey fish from her other skirt pocket. "It's a fish just like the ones that the dolphins eat. Proving that the Scaled Specter is none other than…" she strode over to the creature and yanked off its mask. "Tyler Page!"

Maura gasped in shock. "Tyler! But why?"

Tyler scowled. "Because I worked my tail off getting those stupid dolphins trained to find treasure. And what thanks did I get? NOTHING! The aquarium was going to profit off the treasure, while I got jack diddley! I thought that if everyone believed the treasure was cursed, you'd want to sell it, and then I'd finally get my cut for all my hard work." He hung his head. "But I guess now all I'll be getting is three to five."

Maura thought for a moment, snagging her teeth over her upper lip. "Let's not be too hasty, here. We weren't very fair to you, either, Tyler. I wouldn't condone a course of action this drastic, but I understand why you did. I'll talk to Dr. Bellamy about authorizing the sale of the treasure." She smiled a little. "He'll be thrilled."

Tyler looked up in surprise. "Really! Thanks, Maura."

Maura giggled. "Don't mention it. Granted, it would have been easier if you'd just, you know, asked."

"Ask? It never occurred to me…"

The loudspeaker blared suddenly, causing everyone to jump. ""Ladies and gentlemen, please come down to the Arena for Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular, a live show featuring our talented seals and dolphins! The show starts in fifteen minutes, so come watch!"

Tyler gasped, leaping to his feet and shrugging off his costume. "Fifteen minutes. Igottagetreadybye!" He dashed to the 'Restricted Access' door and began slapping his wetsuit pockets frantically. "Whereisit? Whereisit?"

Velma, keycard in hand and smug grin plastered on her face, strode over to Tyler. "Missing something? You dropped it on one of your Scaled Specter stunts." Tyler blushed furiously, taking the card from Velma and ducking into the bowels of the aquarium once more.

Maura watched the trainer vanish from the scene before turning to Mystery Incorporated. "Thanks so much for solving the mystery. I think everything turned out pretty well for all involved. You kids really know how to meddle."

Velma shrugged. "It's what we do."

The loudspeaker crackled to life once more. "Aqualand's Sea Life Spectacular will be starting in ten minutes. Please make your way down to the arena to watch the show!"

"Well, do you have it in you for one more show?" Maura chuckled. "Monster free…"

"Well, when you put it that way," Shaggy replied, earning a chuckle from the rest of the gang. "But can we make a pit stop at Fish's Dishes again? I'm, like, still hungry!"

"Scooby-Rooby-DOO!" Scooby barked in agreement, happily leading the gang (rolling their eyes at Shaggy and Scooby's appetite) towards the snack bar.


End file.
